UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 
E.  W.    HILGARD,   Director 


AUSTRALIAN   SALT-BUSHES 

Results  of  Eighteen  Years'  Tests:  Characteristics, 
Propagation,  and  Field  Experiments 

By  Charles  H.  Shinn 

Composition  and  Food  Value 

By  M.  E.  Jaffa 


BULLETIN   125 


BERKELEY 

"Cbe  TUmvevsit^  press 

May,  1899 


Plate  1.—  Rhagodia  spiniscens  inermis. 


AUSTRALIAN   SALT-BUSHES 


RESULTS  OF  EIGHTEEN  YEARS'  TESTS:  CHARACTERISTICS, 
PROPAGATION,  AND  FIELD  EXPERIMENTS. 


By  Charles  H.  Shinn, 


The  story  of  the  introduction  of  various  species  of  Australian  salt- 
bush,  of  the  tests  made  at  many  places  and  on  a  great  variety  of  soils, 
of  the  difficulties  encountered,  and  of  the  ultimate  proof  of  the  great 
value  of  some  species  to  California,  is  both  interesting  and  instructive. 
It  serves  to  show  that  much  time  and  patience  are  requisite  in  work  of 
this  kind,  and  it  should  also  encourage  local  experimenters  to  renewed 
efforts . 

The  Australian  salt-bushes  seem  to  have  been  first  mentioned  in 
the  Report  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  for  1882.  Dr.  H.  Behr,  of 
San  Francisco,  had  long  advocated  the  trial  of  the  Australian  atri- 
plexes,  and  in  June,  1881,  through  his  correspondence  with  the  late 
Baron  Von  Mueller,  seeds  of  two  species,  A.  vesicaria  and  A.  num- 
mularia, were  obtained  and  sent  to  the  University  for  propagation. 

The  first  seeds  obtained  were  badly  mixed,  and  it  took  some  time 
to  determine  the  species,  since  herbarium  specimens  were  lacking. 
But  Baron  Von  Mueller,  having  begun  to  supply  California  with  these 
valuable  plants,  continued  to  send  seeds  every  year  as  long  as  he  lived; 
these  included  new  species  as  fast  as  they  were  obtained  from  the 
deserts,  and,  through  specimens  of  plants,  and  his  publications,  aided 
in  identifying  those  previously  sent. 

In  the  spring  of  1882,  the  late  Mr.  W.  G.  Klee  sent  plants  of  two 
atriplexes,  one  a  tall  species,  A.  nummularia,  to  the  salt  marshes 
near  Alvarado,  where  they  were  planted  on  the  lands  of  Mr.  G.  Schoof . 
A.  nummularia  grew  very  well  indeed,  was  propagated  with  ease  from 
cuttings,  and  throve  "in  decidedly  alkaline  lands  where  hardly  any- 
thing but  Samphire  (Salicomia)  would  grow."  Mr.  Klee  wrote 
(Report  of  1882) :  "The  relish  with  which  cows  eat  every  particle  of 
it  would  seem  to  make  it  a  pasture  plant  worthy  of  extensive  culture." 

First  Distribution  and  Results. — In  Bulletin  No.  2  of  the  Agricul- 
tural College,  under  date  of  January  15,  1883,  A.  nummularia  was 
first  offered — ten  plants  to  each  applicant.  This  is  the  species  of 
which  Baron  Von  Mueller  says:  "One  of  the  tallest  and  most  fatten- 
ing and  wholesome  of  Australian  pastoral  salt-bushes,  also  highly 
recommended  for  artificial  rearing."     Even   in   1879,  when  this  was 


written,  the  more  valuable  species  of  atriplex  were  rapidly  disappear- 
ing over  wide  areas  of  Australia. 

In  a  "Report  on  Grasses,  Forage  Plants,  and  Cereals,"  made  in  1886, 
by  Professor  E.  J.  Wickson,  a  number  of  letters  were  printed  from 
those  who  received  A.  nummularia  for  trial.  Four  farmers  reported 
that  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep  were  fond  of  the  plant,  and  that  it  was 
a  decided  acquisition.  Two  farmers  reported  that  animals  would  not 
eat  it.  Mr.  S.  G.  Baker,  of  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles  County,  wrote  that 
this  atriplex  grew  "in  soil  containing  thirty  per  cent  of  salt,  but  it 
died  in  soil  containing  sixty-five  per  cent  of  salt  and  eleven  per  cent  of 
soda."  This  probably  refers  to  the  alkali  crust,  certainly  not  to  the 
mass  of  the  soil.  On  the  whole,  the  Department,  in  1886,  considered 
A.  nummularia  more  useful  than  any  other  species,  although  by  that 
time  A.  halimoides  and  A.  vesicaria  were  also  being  grown. 

In  1888,  Baron  Von  Mueller  sent  seed  of  Atriplex  semibaccata,  with 
the  remark  that  it  might  fill  some  place  in  California,  but  was  quite 
small,  and  not  so  desirable  as  the  tall  salt-bushes  such  as  nummularia. 
He  also  sent  two  species  of  Kochia,  which,  so  far,  seem  to  propagate 
too  slowly  to  have  much  practical  value,  although  they  are  still  in  the 
economic  garden  with  various  atriplexes  and  other  salt-bushes. 

Salt- Bushes  Planted  at  Tulare. — The  same  year  (1888)  one  species 
of  Kochia  and  several  other  salt-bushes,  including  A.  semibaccata,  were 
planted  at  the  newly-established  sub-station  near  Tulare.  Mr.  Julius 
Forrer,  foreman  of  this  sub-station  since  its  establishment,  saved  seed 
of  Atriplex  semibaccata  in  1889,  and  sowed  it  as  a  border  to  some  of 
the  roads.  Since  the  ground  was  very  "spotty,"  having  different 
degrees  of  saline  strength,  this  soon  showed  roughly  the  alkali- 
toleranee  of  the  plant,  and  it  was  found  to  be  extremely  high.  Mr. 
Forrer  continued  to  sow  seeds  in  test  plots  on  other  parts  of  the  tract, 
and  made  local  tests  in  the  district.  In  the  autumn  of  1890  he  called 
the  attention  of  the  inspector  to  the  value  of  Atriplex  semibaccata, 
declaring  that  it  was  much  the  best  of  the  salt-bushes,  as  it  could  be 
handled  like  alfalfa  on  account  of  its  numerous  thin,  flexible  stems, 
while  most  of  the  others  were  suitable  only  for  browsing. 

Tests  of  this  atriplex  were  continued  at  Tulare  from  1890  to  1894. 
Little  was  published  by  the  California  Station  concerning  it,  but  it 
received  much  local  attention,  and  by  1894  several  farmers  had  planted 
fields  of  considerable  extent.  By  that  time  seeds  had  been  distributed 
to  many  persons  in  Tulare  County;  plants  of  twelve  and  even  sixteen 
feet  in  circumference,  grown  in  a  single  season  on  strong  alkali  spots, 
had  been  exhibited  in  the  offices  of  local  newspapers,  and  at  county 
and  district  fairs.  It  was  found  that  chickens,  hogs,  sheep,  goats, 
cattle,  and  horses  throve  on  the  plant.  It  was  often  somewhat  diffi- 
cult to  induce  work-horses  or  milch-cows,  accustomed  to  hay  and 
alfalfa,  to  accept  the  new  fodder,  but  on  the  whole,  the  results 
obtained  appeared  to  promise  a  wide  usefulness  for  the  salt-bush. 

Investigation  of  Food  Values. — In  1894,  the  Station  published  the 
results  of  analysis  of  the  salt-bush  compared  with  those  of  some  other 
green  fodders,  which  showed  the  amounts  of  digestible  nutrients  to 
be  very  considerable,  comparing  well  with  alfalfa.  As  tabulated  with 
later  analyses,  these  investigations,  made  by  Professor  M.  E.  Jaffa, 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  Bulletin. 


Station  and  Farm  Experiments. 

After  Atriplex  semibaccata  had  been  thoroughly  tested  in  plots  at 
Tulare  sub-station,  a  carload  of  volunteer  plants  was  (1894)  given  to 
the  Kern  County  Land  Company,  who  planted  about  forty  acres  in  one 
field  and  many  small  plots  in  different  locations.  The  plants  throve 
everywhere  and  were  reported  to  be  a  great  acquisition,  (see  letter  of 
A.  B.  Leckenby,  Annual  Report  of  1894-95,  page  321.)  Some  indi- 
vidual plants  attained  a  diameter  of  eighteen  feet  in  one  year.  The 
main  field  was  partly  pastured,  partly  used  to  secure  seed,  and  a  large 
crop  was  gathered  and  sold  at  considerable  profit.  The  tract  was 
then  irrigated  and  partly  sown  to  alfalfa.  A  great  deal  of  the 
salt-bush  remained  when  the  place  was  visited  in  1898,  and  improved 
the  pasture.  Other  and  larger  plantations  of  salt-bush  have  since 
been  made  on  more  arid  ground. 

Mr.  Turner,  of  Tulare,  planted  a  large  pasture  about  the  same  time, 
which  still  remains  in  use.  Mr.  Welch,  of  East  Oakland,  planted 
about  50  acres  in  the  same  county,  and  like  Mr.  Turner  has  found  it 
profitable  for  pasture.     Neither  of  these  gentlemen  irrigated  at  all. 

In  February  1896,  the  Tulare  sub-station,  needing  more  land, 
secured  the  use  of  six  acres  of  unproductive  alkali  soil,  on  which  to 
make  a  field  test.  Salt-bush  seed  was  drilled  here  on  the  surface,  in 
rows  eight  feet  apart,  and  by  September,  when  visited,  the  surface 
was  nearly  covered.  A  part  of  the  crop  was  cut  twice,  yielding  at  the 
rate  of  four  tons  of  hay  per  acre;  the  rest  being  allowed  to  ripen  seed 
for  distribution  and  exchange,  was  cut  late  and  stacked  for  feeding  to 
sheep.  The  surplus  not  required  by  the  station  was  given  to  farmers, 
who  hauled  it  home,  fed  it  to  cattle,  and  reported  that  it  was  excellent. 
A  large  irrigation  ditch  broke  in  1897,  flooding  the  low  basin  of  this 
field,  and  destroying  most  of  the  salt-bush,  thus  preventing  another 
season's  results  and  emphasizing  the  evil  of  giving  too  much  moisture 
to  this  desert  plant. 

Successful  field-tests  in  tracts  of  five  acres  and  upwards  have  been 
reported  from  Bishop,  Inyo  County;  from  Byron,  Contra  Costa 
County;  Wilmington  and  many  other  places  in  Los  Angeles  County; 
Arbuckle  and  Colusa,  in  Colusa  County;  Bakersfield,  Kern  County; 
Traver,  Kingsburg,  Visalia,  Tulare,  and  Goshen  in  the  upper  San 
Joaquin  Valley. 

Salt-Bush  on  Non-Alkali  Uplands. — Mr.  A.  V.  Stubenrauch,  then 
foreman  of  the  Paso  Robles  sub-station,  sowed  seed  of  A.  semi- 
baccata in  April,  1896,  in  boxes,  transplanting  them  to  the  open 
ground  the  first  week  in  June.  About  100  plants  were  thus  established, 
some  under  a  large  oak,  others  close  to  the  county  road.  By  Novem- 
ber 10  each  plant  was  a  mass  of  growth  three  feet  in  diameter.  The 
following  winter  hundreds  of  volunteer  plants  sprang  up,  and  both 
seeds  and  plants  were  freely  distributed  in  the  district.  Late  in  the 
spring  of  1898,  Mr.  Sedgwick,  then  foreman,  sowed  A.  halimoides,  A. 
vesicaria,  and  A.  hortensis  as  well  as  a  larger  area  of  A  semibaccata. 
The  season  was  so  dry  that  the  results  were  extremely  instructive. 

Drought  Endurance. — The  total  rainfall  at  the  Paso  Robles  station 
for  the  season  of  1897-98  was  but  3.24  inches,  to  March;   April  and 


May  showers  brought  this  to  4.75.  The  season  was  marked  by  very 
strong  "northers."  None  of  the  native  spring  bulbs,  such  as  Calo- 
chorti,  Brodiaeas,  etc.,  bloomed,  and  few  even  made  leaves.  By  the 
first  of  April,  the  roadsides  were  brown  and  barren.  On  unirrigated 
land  there  was  no  green  fodder-plant  excepting  salt-bush,  in  the 
entire  region. 

The  growth  of  A.  semibaccata  on  this  poor  and  arid  soil  was  a 
revelation  to  every  farmer.  Seed  sown  in  December  1897,  made  a 
foot  of  growth  by  April  12th,  branching  and  covering  the  ground. 
After  being  cut  back  for  sheep  feed,  it  made  a  second  growth  of  six 
inches  by  the  end  of  May,  and  was  cut  a  third  time  before  the  end  of 
the  summer.  All  that  was  sown  in  December,  as  well  as  the  plants 
that  were  two  years  of  age,  throve  without  irrigation  and  found  the 
small  rainfall  of  less  than  five  inches  sufficient.  In  fact,  two-year-old 
plants  which  were  in  rows  two  feet  apart,  covered  the  ground  and 
yielded  a  large  crop  of  seed. 

One-fifth  of  an  acre,  sown  in  December  yielded  100  lbs.  of  seed. 
This  plot  was  cut  in  September  and,  cured  for  fodder,  yielded  at  the 
rate  of  five  and  one-half  tons  of  hay  per  acre.  Three  such  cuttings 
were  practicable  on  this  light,  granitic,  sandy  loam,  underlaid  by 
hardpan,  during  the  driest  season  known. 

The  January  and  February  sowings  of  salt-bush  nearly  failed,  and 
on  April  12th,  1898,  were  dying.  The  average  plants  were  then  from 
one  to  two  inches  high,  with  single  roots  descending  two  to  three 
inches  deep  in  the  dry  soil,  which  since  sowing  had  received  less  than 
three  and  a  half  inches  of  rain,  and  no  cultivation.  These  plots  were 
given,  by  measurement,  water  equivalent  to  one  inch  of  rain  and  were 
then  thinned  and  hoed.  On  May  28th  the  average  plants  were  eight 
to  nine  inches  high — some  twelve  inches — and  all  were  many-branched, 
showing  from  six  to  fifteen  succulent  growths  from  each  crown.  The 
roots  had  penetrated  from  ten  to  eighteen  inches.  No  more  irrigation 
or  cultivation  was  required. 

Reports  of  Field  Tests  by  Correspondents. — Out  of  the  numerous 
letters  received  regarding  the  value  of  the  salt-bush,  a  few  are  given 
here  to  show  the  range  of  the  plant. 

From  the  west  side  of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  at  Arbuckle,  Colusa 
County,  under  date  of  December  26,  1898,  W.  C.  Bradford  writes: 
"The  salt-bush  grew  from  a  few  inches  to  three  feet  in  diameter 
on  hard,  dry  clay  land  where  even  weeds  did  not  grow;  and  it  volun- 
teered from  self-sown  seeds  in  the  hard  road  and  walk,  growing  slowly 
all  summer."  Jasper  Kolpien,  of  Grimes,  also  in  Colusa  County, 
writes:  "Grows  well  here,  and  about  ever}7  farmer  is  growing  some 
this  year,  as  a  good  many  tried  it  last  year,  and  all  praise  it." 
J.  Lewis,  of  Maxwell,  Colusa  County,  and  others  in  the  same  district 
say:  "The  salt-bush  will  be  the  salvation  of  the  'goose  lands'  "  (hard 
clay  soil,  with  white  alkali.) 

Success  in  the  Sierra  foothills  is  reported  by  W.  C.  Cockrill,  of 
Latrobe,  El  Dorado  County.  In  December,  1898,  he  wrote:  "It  does 
well  in  this  locality.  I  planted  it  in  boxes,  and  transplanted  it  in 
April  on  very  dry  ground.  It  made  a  growth  of  about  two  feet  with- 
out any  irrigation.     In  August  the  cattle  broke  in  and  ate  it  all  off, 


but  it  commenced  to  grow  again,  and  remained  green  all  fall,  and  is 
green  yet."     Thus  far  no  alkali  has  been  found  here. 

Many  excellent  reports  come  from  the  alkali  districts  of  Honey 
Lake  and  other  valleys  of  Lassen  County.  A  typical  letter  is  from 
Tully  DuVall,  of  Datura,  Lassen  County,  written  in  February,  1899. 
He  says:  "Australian  salt-bush  sowed  June  1,  sprouted  June  11; 
then  spread  two  feet  in  diameter.  From  one  plant  I  gathered  a 
quart  of  seed.  Though  sowed  so  late,  it  stood  the  frost  better  than 
alfalfa.  In  October  it  was  still  green,  when  the  alfalfa  had  withered 
away.  It  stood  the  severe  winter  of  1897-98  and  is  now  growing. 
The  soil  was  alkali." 

From  many  places  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  and  its  adjacent  foot- 
hills favorable  accounts  have  been  received.  Many  such  were  printed 
by  Professor  E.  J.  Wickson  in  recent  annual  reports.  Mr.  G.  F. 
Donkin,  of  Grayson,  Stanislaus  County,  writes  in  December,  1898: 
"I  only  succeeded  in  growing  one  plant  in  1897;  which  spread  out  six 
feet  and  seeded  heavily.  In  1898,  a  great  number  of  young  plants 
came  up  around  the  old  one,  and  I  furnished  plants  to  my  neighbors, 
besides  planting  125  small  ones  in  the  field.  They  are  a  success;  and 
my  chickens,  turkeys,  horses,  and  cows  all  like  it.  Turkeys  invariably 
go  to  the  salt-bushes.  A  cattle-raiser  here  told  me  it  is  excellent  feed 
for  cattle,  and  he  intends  to  grow  some  on  the  hillsides." 

Experiments  with  salt-bush  in  the  Coast  Ranges  have  not  been  so 
numerous  as  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  but  promise  equally  satis- 
factory results.  In  December,  1898,  Mr.  T.  E.  Rice,  of  Livermore, 
Alameda  County,  wrote:  "I  have  grown  the  Australian  salt-bush 
(A.  semibaccataj  for  two  years,  and  am  well  pleased  with  it.  It  seems 
to  stand  the  drought  better  than  either  of  the  others.  Mealy  salt-bush 
(A.  halimoidesj  grew  about  two  feet  high,  but  does  not  make  nearly 
as  much  feed  as  the  other.  No.  2  (A.  leptocarpaj  was  just  about  a 
failure."  Miss  A.  E.  Howard,  Pozo,  San  Luis  Obispo  County,  wrote 
that  it  kept  green  all  summer,  and  "furnished  excellent  feed  December 
15th."  Similar  reports  came  from  Creston,  Paso  Robles,  San  Miguel, 
and  Shandon.  Mr.  A.  M.  Hardie,  of  Cayucos,  near  the  coast  of  San 
Luis  Obispo,  praises  it  highly  in  a  report  made  in  May,  1899. 

An  excellent  report  of  salt-bush  planting  on  non-alkali  soil  comes 
from  Mr.  G.  E.  Heaton,  of  San  Luis  Obispo  County,  wThose  farm  is  in 
the  Santa  Lucia  Range,  west  of  Paso  Robles.  He  writes  that  his  soil 
is  heavy  and  dark,  with  considerable  adobe,  no  hardpan,  elevation 
about  1,500  feet  above  the  sea,  exposure  eastern,  sloping  15  feet  to 
the  hundred;  there  is  timber  on  top  of  the  hill,  and  the  land  is  shaded 
after  4  o'clock  p.m.  He  continues:  "The  rainfall  for  the  season  of 
1897-98  was  five  inches,  of  which  about  one  inch  fell  early  and  was 
dissipated  before  the  seed  was  planted;  most  of  it  fell  in  February  and 
March.  The  yield  of  salt-bush  was  approximately  thirty  tons  of  green 
forage  per  acre,  though  badly  injured  by  a  neighbor's  cattle  in  August. 
It  is  relished  by  stock.  I  have  only  tried  horses;  some  eat  it  at  first 
sight,  in  preference  to  good  wheat-hay,  others  require  coaxing,  but 
after  once  eating  it  seem  to  relish  it.  Cattle  that  broke  into  the  field 
ate  the  salt-bush  as  greedily  as  beets  that  were  planted  alongside. 
Young  plants  this  season  (January,  1899)  resisted,  without  injury, 
frosts  that  killed  young  cabbage  plants  in  the  same  situation.     Old 


8 

plants  take  on  a  dingy  look  during  the  continued  frost,  but  start  a  new 
growth  as  soon  as  the  weather  moderates.  It  endures  cutting  and 
cropping  better  than  alfalfa,  not  dying  back  like  that  plant,  but  start- 
ing again  all  along  the  stem  and  from  the  crown  also." 

Domestic  Animals  will  eat  Salt-Bush. — Some  correspondents  have 
reported  that  they  could  not  persuade  livestock  to  eat  salt-bush  (A. 
semibaccataj,  "notwithstanding  the  favorable  analysis,"  as  one  farmer 
wrote.  By  taking  all  the  letters  received  during  four  years  at  the 
Station,  which  touch  directly  on  this  point,  and  tabulating  them,  the 
following  results  are  obtained: 

Five  farmers  say,  "Nothing  will  touch  it;  stock  won't  eat  it;  it  is 
a  failure  on  this  account."  All  these  farmers  admit  that  it  grows 
well.  One  of  them  does  not  seem  to  have  had  salt-bush,  but  to  have 
been  testing  something  else,  by  mistake. 

Eight  farmers  say,  "Stock  will  eat  a  little,"  or,  "Only  when  dry." 

Thirty-seven  farmers  say,  "Stock  thrive  upon  salt-bush,  are  very 
fond  of  it."  Cattle,  horses,  sheep,  goats,  and  poultry  are  included  in 
the  lists  given. 

Many  other  correspondents  who  do  not  mention  this  particular 
point  at  all,  speak  of  extending  their  acreage  of  salt-bush,  and  there- 
fore it  may  be  presumed  that  they  have  found  the  food-value  satis- 
factory. 

At  Tulare  sub-station  salt-bush  was  fed  to  sheep,  cattle,  horses,  and 
hogs.  With  the  sheep,  the  ration  was  increased  until  some  received 
nearly  their  whole  sustenance  for  months  at  a  time  from  this  plant, 
keeping  in  excellent  condition,  and  being  turned  off  to  the  butcher  as 
"fat  mutton"  without  any  other  food  except  a  little  straw. 

Still,  there  must  be  a  reasonable  foundation  for  some  of  the  diffi- 
culties that  farmers  have  experienced  in  feeding  salt-bushes.  In  fact, 
salt-bushes  probably  vary  in  edibility  at  different  seasons  of  the  year 
on  alkali  soil.  All  the  available  evidence  goes  to  show  that  only  a 
small  proportion  of  the  many  species  of  salt-bushes  of  the  world  are 
really  acceptable  to  live  stock.  Kochia  pyramidata,  as  reported  by 
Mr.  J.  H.  Maiden,  contains  thirty-seven  percent  of  uneatable  material. 
K.  aphylla  is  so  fibrous  that  it  forms  bezoars  in  the  stomachs  of 
sheep,  and  often  kills  them.  Some  of  the  atriplexes  are  seldom 
touched  except  in  times  of  great  necessity. 

Vegetative  Characteristics  of  the  Salt-Bushes. 

Tolerance  of  Alkali. — The  studies  of  alkali  soils  made  at  different 
times  at  Tulare  sub- station  by  Director  Hilgard,  Professor  Loughridge, 
and  other  members  of  the  Station  staff,  have  shown  that  the  resistance 
of  salt-bush  to  the  effects  of  alkali  is  very  satisfactory.  There  is,  of 
course,  a  limit  to  such  resistance.  Some  correspondents  report  that 
they  planted  it  in  black-alkali  crust,  and  were  disappointed  at  its 
failure.  One  farmer  says:  "The  alkali  destroyed,  or  ate  off,  the 
stems  of  the  salt-bush;  it  did  not  seem  to  get  a  start  at  all."  Expect- 
ations of  success  in  such  places  cannot,  of  course,  be  realized. 
On  land  of  which  the  surface  foot  contains  one-third  of  one  per  cent, 
of  salt,  the  young  plant  was  found  to  come  up  easily,  but  suffered 
when  the  salt  contents  reached  nearly  eight-tenths  of  one  per  cent., 


or  about  31,000  pounds  of  salts  to  the  upper  acre-foot.  Some  of  the 
older  plants  lived  well  in  soils  having  a  total  of  92,000  pounds  per 
acre  in  a  depth  of  three  feet,  of  which  23,000  pounds  was  "black 
alkali."  Where  the  surface  crust,  or  upper  half -inch  contained  eight 
per  cent,  of  salts,  the  young  plants  barely  kept  alive,  and  when  the 
amount  of  salts  near  the  surface  was  twenty-five  per  cent.,  they 
perished.  Nevertheless,  there  are  cases  at  the  Tulare  sub-station, 
where  single  plants,  under  favoring  circumstances  obtain  root  and 
thrive  where  the  amount  of  alkali  approaches  these  highest  limits. 
Certainly  no  other  useful  plant  so  sturdily  withstands  "black  alkali." 
Barley  for  instance  does  not  make  a  crop  on  land  containing  over 
30,000  pounds  of  total  salts  per  acre. 

Since  1894  the  continued  experience  of  several  hundred  farmers  in 
the  San  Joaquin  Valley  has  emphasized  the  same  points,  showing  that 
Atriplex  semibaccata  is  the  best  species  yet  tested  for  alkali  soils  in 
regions  of  hot,  dry  summers  and  light  rainfall.  Though  in  such 
districts  it  responds  readily  to  irrigation,  it  seems  to  be  easily  "drowned 
out"  or  rotted  by  too  much  water.  It  thrives  on  the  banks  of  irriga- 
tion ditches,  and  aids  to  bind,  the  soil,  forming,  where  pastured 
closely,  a  compact  covering.  It  is  now  well  established  along  the 
highway  near  the  sub- station,  and  volunteers  freely.  It  has  been 
successfully  started  on  hard,  unplowed  pastures  and  roadsides. 

Salt-bushes  grow  extremely  well  on  the  ten-acre  tract  near  Chino, 
which  forms  part  of  the  Southern  California  sub-station.  There  they 
are  planted  in  seven  different  plots,  to  test  resistance  to  alkali  in  this 
district.  The  amounts  of  alkali  in  the  soil  range  from  a  total  salt- 
percentage  of  .067,  or  2,680  pounds,  to  about  7,080  pounds  per  acre. 
The  limit  of  endurance  has  not  been  nearly  reached  in  this  case,  and 
the  plant  can  be  recommended  for  all  places  in  this  region  where  beets 
and  alfalfa  fail  on  account  of  surplus  alkali  salts.  The  species  planted 
were  A.  semibaccata  and  A.  leptocarpa.     Both  do  extremely  well. 

Resistance  to  Frost. — Most  of  the  alkali  lands  of  California,  being 
in  the  lowlands,  are  subject  to  heavy  winter-frosts.  However,  "salt- 
bush  withstood  more  frost  than  alfalfa"  at  Bishop,  Inyo  County,  and 
at  Datura,  Lassen  County.  It  grew  fairly  well  in  Weber  County, 
Utah;  at  Oroville,  State  of  Washington;  in  Mills  County,  Oklahoma; 
at  Clarks,  Nebraska,  and  at  various  places  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico. 
The  plant  remains  green  very  late  in  the  season — a  strong  point  for 
stockmen.  At  Bishop,  Inyo  County,  it  was  green,  in  bloom,  and  with 
seeds  in  all  stages,  on  November  23rd.  At  Biggs,  and  also  at  Colusa, 
the  leaves  were  still  green  in  December.  At  Latrobe,  El  Dorado 
County,  it  was  green  and  growing  December  22nd.  The  top  certainly 
withstands  a  temperature  of  14°  Fahr.,  but  how  much  less  has  not 
3^et  been  determined. 

Boot  System  and  Penetration. — So  far  as  observed  by  studying  the 
root-system  of  the  plants  grown  at  Tulare  sub-station,  where  water 
is  abundant  at  less  than  twenty  feet,  the  salt-bush  does  not  need  to  go 
deeper  than  five  feet.  Even  in  the  dryest  seasons,  when  grain  crops 
cannot  find  sufficient  moisture,  and  perish,  the  salt-bush  thrives, 
making  heavy  growth.  The  following  photograph  clearly  illustrates 
the  root-sj^stem  of  a  typical  alkali-soil  specimen,  from  Tulare  sub- 
station,  taken    by  Professor  Loughridge,   illustrates  the  manner  in 


10 


Hot  torn  «i    hartif> 


Ptote  5.— Root  System  of  Atriplex  semibaccata  in  an  Upland  Soil. 


12 

which  it  grows.  This  should  be  compared  with  the  surprisingly 
different  root-system  of  the  salt-bush  in  Paso  Robles  on  non-alkali 
and  non-irrigated  upland,  which  is  shown  in  Plate  3. 

This  Paso  Robles  salt-bush  plant,  two  years  old,  was  taken  up  in 
the  fall  of  1898,  when  green  and  growing,  and  the  position  of  its  roots 
studied  and  mapped.  The  main  root  bored  its  way  downward  until 
the  streak  of  moister  soil  just  below  the  hardpan  was  reached,  when 
the  plant,  which  had  remained  green  all  the  time,  gained  new  energy. 
The  main  root  was  nearly  an  inch  in  diameter  at  the  surface  of  the 
ground;  at  the  point  where  it  finally  broke  off  and  could  be  traced 
no  farther  downward,  it  was  the  merest  thread. 

Growth  on  Soil  Underlaid  by  Hardpan. — But  the  most  important 
discovery  from  this  experiment  at  Paso  Robles  was  that  the  salt-bush 
grew  well  on  a  soil  that  was  not  only  dr^y  and  uncultivated,  but  was 
also  underlaid  by  hardpan.  Many  borings  over  the  tract  have  deter- 
mined the  depth  of  surface  soil,  and  in  many  places  also  the  thickness 
of  the  underlying  hardpan.  Plants  have  only  from  one  to  two  feet  of 
open  soil  in  which  to  grow  before  they  find  a  hardpan  of  from 
twenty  inches  to  six  feet  in  thickness  through  which  the  roots  of  but 
few  species  of  plants  can  penetrate.  The  native  oaks,  the  English  oak, 
mulberries,  and  locusts  do  indeed  slowly  extend  through  it,  but  apri- 
cots, peaches,  cherries,  and  most  orchard  trees  merely  spread  out  their 
roots  on  its  surface  for  some  years,  then  cease  to  grow,  and  finally  die. 
When  wet  by  rain,  this  hardpan  becomes  easy  of  penetration,  a  fact 
of  which  the  salt-bush  takes  advantage,  starting  growth  as  it  does, 
with  the  first  autumn  showers. 

Moisture  in  Saline- Soils. — The  amount  of  moisture  in  the  soils  in 
which  salt-bush  maintained  its  growth  at  Tulare  and  at  Paso  Robles 
in  1898,  has  been  determined  by  Professor  R.  H.  Loughridge  in  the 
course  of  his  extensive  studies  in  this  line,  and  is  shown  in  the 
following  table : 

Soil— Moisture  Tests:  Summer  of  1898. 


Tulare. 

Paso  Robles. 

Depth 

Sandy  Soil. 

Strong  Alkali  Soil. 

Hardpan  Soil. 

AT  WHICH 

Taken. 

1 

Per  Cent. 

Tons 
Per  Acre. 

Per  Cent. 

Tons 
Per  Acre. 

Per  Cent 

Tons 
Per  Acre 

1  ft. 

0.8 

16 

15.9 

318 

0.9 

18 

2  ft. 

2.9 

58 

8.5 

170 

2.8 

56 

3  ft. 

9.5 

190 

15.5 

310 

3.3 

66 

4  ft. 

6.5 

130 

15.1 

302 

12.2 

244 

5  ft. 

— 

— 

17.0 

340 

7.8 

156 

6  ft, 

— 

— 

— 

7.5 

150 

Total 

49 
4.9 

394 

14.4 

1440 

5.8 

1 

690 

Rainfall  for  seaso 

n,     4.33  inc 

hes. 

4.75 

inches. 

Depth 

to  water, 

13.5    fee 

t. 

150 

feet 

13 

The  point  most  striking  in  the  foregoing  table  is  the  wide  difference 
between  the  moisture  contents  of  the  sandy  land  and  strong  alkali 
land  at  Tulare,  being  nearly  ten  per  cent,  in  favor  of  the  latter.  This 
illustrates  one  of  the  points  which  doubtless  influences  the  preference 
of  the  salt-bushes  for  alkali  soils,  and  their  vigorous  development 
where  other  plants  would  utterly  fail  to  maintain  themselves.  Evidently 
they  are  able  to  share  the  moisture  absorbed  by  the  hygroscopic  alkali 
salts,  even  when  the  latter  are  present  in  large  proportion.  It  has 
long  been  known  that  grain  can  be  grown  successfully  without  irriga- 
tion on  lands  containing  a  very  small  proportion  of  alkali  salts,  while 
soils  alongside,  but  free  from  the  latter,  produce  no  crop;  as  is  also 
the  case  in  stronger  alkali  lands.  The  wide  limit  of  adaptation 
tolerated  by  the  salt-bush  is  strikingly  expressed  in  the  figures  snowing 
the  amount  of  water  per  acre  in  the  second  column  of  each  group;  at 
the  same  time,  it  would  doubtless  have  been  found  that  in  the  case  of 
the  sandy  land  the  roots  penetrated  to  much  greater  depths  than  in  the 
alkali  soil;  the  same  is  true  in  the  case  of  the  Paso  Robles  sandy  soil, 
whose  moisture  content  was  only  half  that  of  the  alkali  land  of  Tulare. 
Another  striking  fact  is  the  amount  of  water  held  below  the  hardpan, 
as  shown  in  the  Paso  Robles  column. 

Leaf-Habits. — The  leaves  of  A.  semibaccata  in  the  alkali  districts 
remain  nearly  flat;  but  at  Paso  Robles,  upon  the  light,  dry  soils  of  the 
district,  the  leaves  fold  inward  more  or  less  closely  during  the  heat  of 
the  day,  and  open  out  at  night.  No  other  salt- bush  showed  this 
feature  to  any  appreciable  extent.  A.  halimoides,  one  of  the  best  of 
the  upright  species,  does  well  at  Paso  Robles,  and  so  does  A.  leptocarpa, 
a  trailing  species.  Neither  of  these,  however,  make  nearly  as  much 
growth  as  does  semibaccata,  whose  leaves  have  been  seen,  under  a 
dry  norther  in  July  or  August,  folded  as  closly  as  those  of  a  rudely- 
touched  sensitive  plant. 

Propagation  of  Salt-bushes — The  Seed  Industry  in 
California. 

Many  salt-bushes  can  be  propagated  from  cuttings,  but  the  cheapest 
and  best  method  is  from  seed.  These  can  be  sown  in  boxes  and  trans- 
planted to  the  desired  fields  where  they  easily  root  and  soon,  from 
self-sown  seedlings  of  subsequent  seasons,  cover  the  entire  ground. 
More  vigorous  plants  and  a  better  root- system  are  obtained  by  sowing 
where  the  stand  is  desired. 

Utility  of  Transplanting. — It  is  often  desirable,  however,  to  trans- 
plant seedlings.  They  may  then  be  set  in  rows  four  feet  apart  on  light 
or  hardpan  soils  and  six  to  eight  feet  apart  on  alkali  soils.  The 
plants  may  stand  from  one  to  four  feet  apart  in  the  rows.  The  seed- 
lings should  be  well  hardened,  and  three  or  four  inches  high.  The 
tops  should  be  pinched  back,  taking  off  two-thirds  of  the  growth; 
they  are  treated  like  young  cabbage  or  tomato  plants,  firming  the  soil 
about  the  roots.  A  great  many  correspondents  have  followed  this 
method  with  success,  and  thus  have  utilized  every  seed  obtained.  The 
salt-bush  transplants  easily.  At  Paso  Robles,  on  March  3rd,  1898, 
one  hundred  plants  were  taken  from  seed  boxes,  pinched  back,  set  out, 
watered  once  and  shaded  for  forty-eight  hours.     The  test  was  a  hard 


14 

one,  as  all  of  the  soil  was  purposely  shaken  from  the  roots,  and  at  the 
end  of  forty-eight  hours,  the  plants  were  exposed  to  the  full  sun-light; 
but  eighty-five  per  cent  grew  and  throve.  The  individual  salt-bush 
which  penetrated  the  hardpan  and  is  illustrated  above  (plate  3),  was 
a  transplanted  specimen. 

Seed- Solving  Preferable.  —  The  vast  majority  of  planters  will 
naturally  prefer  to  sow  seed.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  securing  a  good 
and  uniform  stand  if  the  following  directions  are  carefully  considered 
and  modified  to  suit  local  conditions.  The  primary  rule  to  remember 
is  that  these  salt-bushes  are  plants  of  the  desert.  Their  seeds  start 
easily  and  rapidly,  with  little  moisture  and  little  or  no  covering,  but 
the  soil  must  be  warm.  This- means,  in  California,  early  sowing  with 
the  first  warm  autumn  showers.  But  details  of  treatment  differ 
radically  on  alkali  soils  and  on  arid  uplands,  and  these  differences  are 
worth  noting  here. 

Seed- Solving  on  Alkali  Soils. — Almost  without  exception,  farmers 
who  have  attempted  to  cover  salt-bush  seed  on  alkali  soils  have  found 
that  it  rotted  in  the  ground.  They  should  sow  with  the  first  rains  on 
well- prepared  soil.  "Firm"  the  seed  into  the  soil — that  is,  press  it 
down  so  that  the  roots  can  start  better;  but  do  not  cover  it.  Self- 
sown  seeds  start  by  thousands  on  the  surface  of  the  soil,  or  even  on 
hard  roadsides,  in  the  Tulare  district.  This  is  usually  in  October,  and 
these  seedlings  endure  frosts  of  17°  Fahr.  by  December  without 
injury.     By  March,  such  plants  are  far  ahead  of  transplanted  stock. 

If  the  October  sowing-time  is  lost,  planters  must  sow  in  boxes,  or 
wait  till  the  cold  rains  are  past  and  the  soil  gets  warmer.  Such  late- 
sown  plants  can  not  produce,  the  first  season,  nearly  so  large  a  crop 
either  in  forage  or  in  seed  as  do  those  sown  in  October. 

In  brief,  the  points  for  sowing  salt-bush  on  alkali  soil  in  warm 
districts  are:  Sow  early,  on  the  surface;  press  into  the  soil  but  do  not 
cover;    protect  from  birds,  which  are  very  fond  of  the  seeds. 

Seed- Solving  on  Arid  Uplands. — At  Paso  Robles  and  throughout 
the  Coast  Range  and  Sierra  foothills  generally,  on  hardpan,  light, 
and  arid  soils,  the  best  experience  is  that  a  slight  covering  is  advisable. 
Another  letter  from  Mr.  Heaton,  of  the  Santa  Lucia  foothill 
region,  is  worth  quoting  in  this  connection.  Under  date  of  April 
5,  1899,  he  writes:  "I  have  had  no  success  with  seeds  sown  on  the 
surface.  My  seed  was  sown  the  middle  of  February,  in  drills  six 
feet  apart.  The  land  was  prepared  as  for  carrots;  seed  was  covered 
from  a  half  to  one  inch,  and  the  soil  firmly  tramped  on  by  foot.  My 
soil  dried  out  very  quickly,  superficially,  but  conserves  moisture  well 
below.  Plants  were  hoed  twice  and  kept  free  from  weeds.  No  other 
cultivation  was  given." 

Germination  Tests. — Tests  of  three-year-old  seed  were  made,  in 
1897,  by  Mr.  H.  G.  Wright,  at  the  Central  Station  greenhouses,  and 
the  results  plainly  showed  the  advantage  of  slightly  covering  in  non- 
alkali  soils.  The  seed  was  sown  August  6th,  in  seed-boxes,  under 
glass;-  soil  moist,  but  not  again  watered. 

In  the  following  table  are  shown  results  of  germination  tests,  which 
seem  to  show  that  a  covering  in  ordinary  non-alkali  soils  is  an 
advantage,  but  it  must  evidently  be  slight: 


15 

Results  of  Germination  Tests. 


Soil  Covering. 

Date  of 
Germination. 

Percentage  of 
Healthy  Plants. 

i-inch 
i-inch 
|-inch 
I-inch 
Not  covered 

August    9th 
August  10th 
August  11th 
August  12th 
August  16th 

70  per  cent. 
50  per  cent. 
45  per  cent. 
25  per  cent. 
30  per  cent. 

Another  test,  respecting*  the  amount  of  moisture  best  applied, 
showed  that  seed  sown  on  the  surface,  and  watered  everyday,  germin- 
ated seventy-five  per  cent.;  seed  similarly  sown,  but  watered  every 
third  day,  germinated  eighty-eight  per  cent. ;  seed  that  was  not  watered 
until  the  fifth  day,  failed  to  germinate. 

THE    SEED   INDUSTRY. 

Salt-bush  seed  is  not  cheap,  even  in  the  markets  of  Australia,  for 
the  gathering  and  cleaning  is  expensive.  In  1889-91,  when  Baron 
Von  Mueller  was  sending  so  many  packets  to  the  California  station, 
Australian  prices  ranged  from  four  to  six  dollars  per  pound.  About 
1895,  when  the  value  of  Atriplex  semibaccata  to  California  became 
known,  enterprising  seedsmen  began  to  offer  it.  Up  to  the  present 
time  sale  has  been  found  for  a  great  deal  of  seed,  although  no  statistics 
are  obtainable,  and  prices  have  been  so  well  maintained  that  it  is 
believed  there  is  still  profit  for  both  dealers  and  growers. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  difference  in  size,  color,  and  quality  of 
seed  grown  in  various  districts.  Seed  is  easily  overheated,  blackened 
in  the  sun,  or  spoiled  by  dews.  It  is  hard  also  to  obtain  seed  free 
from  admixture  of  light  weed-seeds.  The  percentage  of  germination 
has  varied  in  samples  sent  to  the  station  from  less  than  twenty  to  nearly 
ninety.  Anything  below  seventy-five  per  cent,  is  certainly  very  poor 
seed.  The  bulk  of  the  seed  gathered  by  farmers  will  of  course  be 
used  to  sow  again,  as  few  are  prepared  to  thoroughly  care  for  seed 
and  prepare  it  for  market.  Salt-bush  pasturage  on  arid  and  on  alkali 
land  is  what  is  chiefly  needed,  and  surplus  seed  must  find  its  market 
for  planting  on  these  soils. 

The  brightest-colored  and  heaviest  seed  has  so  far  come  from 
unirrigated  alkali  soils  having  a  rainfall  of  from  six  to  ten  inches,  and 
sufficiently  removed  from  the  influence  of  coast  fogs  and  winds.  Seed 
of  a  slightly  less  bright  color,  from  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent,  smaller, 
but  germinating  nearly  or  quite  as  well,  has  been  grown  on  the  arid 
foothills  of  Monterey,  Kern,  and  San  Luis  Obispo  (east  ot  the  Coast 
Range  summits).  Seed  grown  at  the  Santa  Monica  sub-station,  near 
the  ocean,  on  sandy  soil,  was  small  and  poor.  Seed  grown  at  the 
sub-station  near  Pomona  in  Southern  California  was  dark  in  color, 
light  in  weight,  and  did  not  germinate  well.  Seed  grown  at  Amador 
foothill  sub-station,  receiving  some  irrigation,  was  small  and  dark, 
but  that  growing  on  a  slate  hillside,  unirrigated,  was  much  better  in 
quality.  Seed  has  been  received  at  the  Experiment  Station  from 
twenty-one  farmers  in  nine  counties,  and  plants  have  been  examined 


16 

at  many  other  locations  besides  those  mentioned  above,  the  conclusion 
being,  as  stated,  that  unirrigated  alkali  soils,  in  a  region  of  light 
rainfall,  will  produce  much  the  best  market- crop  of  seed. 


12  3  4 

Plate.  4. — Seeds  of  Australian  Salt-bushes. 

1.  A.  semibaceata.  2.  A.  vesicaria.  3.  A.  leptocarpa.         4.  A.  halimoides. 

Seed  Distribution. — Returning  to  the  history  of  the  work  done  with 
this  atriplex  by  the  California  Experiment  Station,  its  various  seed 
distributions  deserve  notice.  These  really  began  in  1889-90,  on  a 
limited  scale,  following  the  still  earlier  distributions  of  A.  nummularia. 
In  December,  1894,  the  station  felt  justified  in  much  broader  experi- 
ments, and  accordingly  announced  a  general  distribution.  This  has 
been  continued  until  now,  and  in  the  five  years,  about  1,500  pounds 
of  seed  have  been  disseminated  throughout  California  in  small  trial 
packages,  at  a  merely  nominal  price  to  cover  packing  and  postage. 
During  eight  years  (1891-98  inclusive)  about  two  thousand  pounds  of 
salt-bush  seed  were  distributed  in  trial  packages,  without  charge,  from 
the  Tulare  sub-station  or  by  local  newspapers  of  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley.  A  large  amount  of  the  seed  was  also  required  for  exchanges  in 
this  country  and  Europe.  The  total  salt-bush  seed-crop  of  the  Tulare 
sub- station  since  1891  has  been  not  far  from  5,000  pounds. 

The  accompanying  illustration  (Plate  4)  shows  seeds  of  the  lead- 
ing species  natural  size,  now  grown  in  California. 

Salt-Bushes  in  other  Countries. 

WITH   NOTES   ON    SOME    PACIFIC   COAST    SALSOLACE^E. 

The  great  Goosefoot  family  of  plants  ( SalsolaceceJ  has  deservedly 
received  the  attention  of  many  investigators.  Perhaps  the  best 
technical  arrangement  of  Australian  species  is  that  of  Mr.  Bentham's 
" Flora  Australiensis."  While  all  botanical  writers  who  allude  to  salt- 
bushes  note  their  surprising  capacity  of  resistance  to  alkaline  salts, 


17 

especially  of  carbonate  of  soda,  the  principal  authorities,  from  an 
economic  stand-point,  have  been  the  late  Baron  Ferdinand  Von  Mueller, 
Professor  F.  Turner,  and  J.  FL  Maiden,  in  Australia,  and  Professor 
McOwan,  of  Cape  Town — the  latter  on  South  African  species. 

Economic  Importance  of  the  Salt-bushes. — The  Kew  Bulletin  for 
July  and  August,  1896,  contains  a  chapter  on  "Sheep-bushes  and  Salt- 
bushes"  of  South  Africa  and  Australia,  which  shows  the  rapidly 
extending  culture  of  these  plants  in  the  warmer  and  dryer  parts  of 
the  world.  It  is  therein  stated  that  Australia  possesses  about  112 
species  of  salsolaceae,  belonging  to  fifteen  genera  eight  of  which  are 
peculiar  to  it.  Species  of  A  triplex,  Kochia,  and  Bhagodia  have  been 
tested,  or  are  under  trial,  in  California.  Four  other  genera, 
Chenolea,  Chenopodium,  Enchylwna,  and  Sclerolcena,  are  said  by  the 
late  Baron  Von  Mueller  in  his  "Iconography  of  the  Australian  Salso- 
laceous  Plants"  to  contain  species  valuable  for  pasturage.  He 
continues:  "The  salt-bushes  constitute  in  many  wide  tracts  of  our 
island-continent,  the  prevailing  vegetation,  and  on  this  depends, 
locally,  to  a  large  extent  the  sustenance  of  herds  and  flocks.  More- 
over, this  kind  of  pasture-nutriment  has  proved  so  particularly 
wholesome  that  the  salt-bush  country  has  become  among  Australian 
ruralists  quite  famous,  more  particularly  as  salt-bushes  will  live  even 
through  the  direst  periodical  droughts." 

Professor  F.  Turner,  of  New  South  Wales,  the  botanist  of  the 
Agricultural  Department,  says  in  his  monograph  on  the  "Forage 
Plants  of  Australia:"  "Once  the  salt-bushes  are  established,  they 
will  continue  to  grow  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances  of  drought 
and  great  heat."  He  adds  that  when  sheep  are  pastured  where  salt- 
bush  is  grown,  "fluke  and  other  allied  ailments  are  almost  unknown," 
and  that  horses  subject  to  swamp  cancer,  on  the  coast-lands,  lose  this 
disease  when  turned  into  salt-bush  pasture. 

Interesting  testimony  regarding  the  value  of  salt- bushes  was 
recently  furnished  by  Mr.  Stitt,  one  of  the  managers  of  the  famous 
Tejon  Rancho  in  Kern  County,  to  the  effect  that  on  the  famous  Liver- 
pool Plains  of  Australia  beef-cattle  are  given  six  weeks7  range  on  salt- 
bushes  and  the  true  "myall"  ( Acacia  pendulaj.  They  are  then  driven 
six  hundred  miles  to  market  and  arrive  in  magnificent  condition, 
furnishing  beef  of  the  first  quality.  While  the  value  of  the  acacia  in 
this  relation  is  certainly  considerable,  the  best  food  constituents  come 
from  the  salt-bushes.  Cattle  and  sheep  in  Australia  also  browse  freely 
on  leaves  of  Acacia  aneura,  A.  doratoxylon,  A.  salicina,  and  A.  homa- 
lophylla,  which  are  often  termed  "myalls."  The  wool  produced  by 
acacia  forage  alone  is  stated  by  Mr.  Maiden,  Director  of  the  Sydney 
Botanic  Garden,  to  be  of  less  than  average  quality. 

Cause  of  High  Quality  of  Australian  Wools. — All  the  leading 
Australian  authorities  hold  that  it  is  the  salt-bushes  which  give  an 
especial  value  to  the  famous  wools  of  that  country.  They  assert  that 
the  rapid  destruction  of  native  salt-bushes,  now  so  painfully  apparent 
in  Australia,  is  certain  to  materially  lessen  the  market  value  of 
Australian  wool.  This  was  stated  as  a  fact  in  the  report  of  a  Royal 
Commission,  and  has  been  printed  in  many  Colonial  documents. 
Salt-bushes  afford  green  feed  at  a  season  when  other  plants  are  dry, 
and  thus  maintain  the  strength   and  uniformity  of   the    wool-fibre. 


18  • 

Professor  Turner  remarks:  "The  high  price  of  Australian  wools  is 
solely  on  the  account  of  our  superior  indigenous  forage  plants." 
Australians  are  now  making  every  endeavor  to  restore  these  pastures 
by  rest  and  re- seeding. 


Some  of  the  Desirable  Salt-Bushes. 

Baron  Von  Mueller,  in  his  "Select  Extra- Tropical  Plants,"  recom- 
mends some  twelve  species  of  atriplex,  three  chenopodiums,  three 
kochias,  and  five  rhagodias,  nearly  all  Australian. 

Atriplex  cinerea. — This  species,  a  native  of  the  coast  region  of 
Australia,  is  a  rather  tall  and  bulky  salt-bush,  recommended  as 
supplying  good  cattle-fodder.  It  has  not  been  introduced  into  Cali- 
fornia. Seeds  obtained  under  this  name  proved  to  be  A.  halimoides. 
Atriplex  crystallina. — This  species  belongs  to  southeastern  Aus- 
tralia and  Tasmania.  It  grows  on  the  brink  of  the  ocean,  exposed  to 
salt  spray.  Though  not  yet  introduced  into  California,  it  seems 
desirable  on  account  of  its  possible  usefulness  on  the  sand  dunes  and 
salt  marshes.  Atriplex  semibaccata  shows  distinct  limitations  in  this 
direction. 

Atriplex  halimoides. — This  species  belongs  to  the  extremely  dry 
deserts  of  central  Australia,  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  dwarf,  shrubbj^ 

species,  and  is  easily  raised 
from  seed.  It  was  intro- 
duced into  South  Africa  in 
1886  by  the  receipt  of  six 
seeds  from  Australia.  Two 
seeds  germinated,  one  of 
which  afterwards  died;  the 
other,  as  reported  in  the 
"Agricultural  Journal"  of 
Cape  Colony,  became  the 
mother  plant  of  all  the 
halimoides  found  in  South 
Africa.  Thousands  of  acres 
appear  to  have  been  sown 
with  this  atriplex  since  that 
date.  In  California  this 
species  promises  to  be  very 
useful  and  is  worthy  of 
more  extended  trials.  It 
has  been  freely  distributed 
for  several  years.  The  seed 
should  always  be  covered  a 
quarter  to  half  an  inch  deep. 
It  is  usually  sown  in  its 
light,  fibrous  husk.  About 
20,000  fertile  seeds  generally  occur  in  a  pound. 


Plate  5. — Atriplex  halimoides. 


19 


Atriplex  leptocarpa. — This  species,  a  native  of  East  Australia,  is  one 
of  the  trailing  herbs 
which  somewhat  resem- 
ble in  its  growth  the 
well-known  semibaccata. 
It  will  stand  much 
drought,  and  produces 
seed  i  n  abundance .  This 
species  was  introduced 
into  California  in  1891, 
has  been  tested  in  many 
places,  and  is  widely  dis- 
tributed. It  promises  to 
be  a  valuable  plant,  and 
possibly  will  do  better 
near  the  coast  than  the 
semibaccata.  It  does  not 
seem  to  do  well  on  the 
hardpan  lands.  There 
are  about  ten  thousand 
seeds  to  the  pound. 

A  trip  lex  Mu  elleri.  — 
This  is  a  native  of  the 
interior  of  Australia, 
sometimes  reaching  the 

sea  coast.     Cattle  and  sheep  are  said  to  prefer  it  to  most  other  species. 
It  has  not  yet  been  tested  in  California. 

Atriplex  nvmmnlaria . — This  is  one  of  the  tallest  of  the  shrubby 
atriplexes,  sometimes  reaching  a  height  of  from  six  to  ten  feet.  It 
has  attracted  more  attention,  except  in  California,  than  any  other 
Australian  species.  Live  stock  are  reported  to  be  extremely  fond  of  it, 
and  its  drought-enduring  qualities  are  remarkable.  Professor  Turner 
writes,  "It  stands  the  hot  winds  of  our  arid  central  plain  (Australia) 
with  little  check  upon  its  growth."     About  1880,  this  plant  was  intro- 


Plate  6'.— Atriplex  leptocarpa. 


Plate  7.— Atriplex  nummularia. 


duced  on  the  famous  alkali  plain  of  India,  especially  Oudh  and  the 
Upper  Punjab.  Its  resistance  to  alkali  was  satisfactory,  but  after  ten 
years'  trial,  it  was  found  that  the  excessive  damp  of  the  hot,  rainy 
months  often   destroyed  the  plants,  and  its  growth  was  abandoned. 


20 

The  species  has  done  extremely  well  in  South  Africa  and,  like  hali 
moides,  is  grown  there  on  a  large  scale.  This  is  one  of  the  first  salt- 
bushes  introduced  into  California,  and  hopes  of  its  naturalization  were 
long  entertained,  but  it  is  dioecious,  and  has  never  made  fertile  seed 
here,  nor  is  it  practicable  to  root  cuttings  cheaply  enough  to  compete 
with  the  self -seeding  species.  Seeds  obtained  from  Australia  have 
twice  failed  to  germinate.  The  forage  value  of  nummularia  is  evident, 
but  it  has  not  yet  shown  its  adaptability  to  California.  It  seeds  freely 
and  volunteers  readily  in  Australia  and  South  Africa,  so  that  further 
tests  in  California  are  desirable. 

Atriplex  semibaccata . — A  perennial  herb,  "considered  among  the 
best  of  the  salt-bush  country,"  Pronounced  by  W.  Farrer  as  wonder- 
ful for  its  productiveness  and  drought-resisting  power.  Stems  in  its 
native  district,  Queensland,  are  said  to  spread  one  or  two  feet.  Aus- 
tralians who  have  visited  California  say  that  average  plants  of  semi- 
baccata grown  on  alkali  land  in  bulk  surpass  three-fold  the  best  plants 
seen  in  Australia.  In  California  the  low  spreading  mass  of  a  single 
plant  sometimes  reaches  a  diameter  of  twelve  feet  on  alkali  soil.  This 
species  protects  its  fallen  seeds,  and  subsequent  seedlings,  by  a  light 
shelter  of  fallen  leaves,  which  seems  to  be  one  secret  of  its  unusual 
productive  powers.  Several  reports  that  it  grew  well  near  the  tide- 
line  along  the  shore  of  San  Francisco  Bay  were  found  to  be  erroneous. 
The  best  showing  occurred  near  Mowry's  Station,  Alameda  County, 
where  a  fine  field  of  salt-bush  stands  about  four  feet  above  brackish 
water,  and  exposed  to  the  sweep  of  the  sea- wind.  Mr.  Shaw,  of  Warm 
Springs,  reported  an  entire  failure  with  semibaccata  on  unreclaimed 
salt-marsh  islands.  Semibaccata,  as  well  as  halimoides,  leptocarpa, 
and  vesicaria,  have  been  extensively  distributed  from  the  California 
Station,  not  only  in  the  United  States,  but  also  in  Mexico,  Guatamala, 
the  Argentine  Republic,  etc.  A  letter  received,  in  March,  1899,  from 
President  Rocca  of  the  Argentine  Republic  stated  that  the  plant  was 
entirely  successful  there.  The  California  Station  has  agreed  to  furnish 
seed  of  semibaccata,  and  two  other  species,  to  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  at  Washington  for  still  wider  distribution  during  the 
coming  season. 

Atriplex  spongiosa,  A.  stipulata,  A.  angulata,  and  A.  vehitinella 
are  said  to  be  valuable  dwarf  and  shrubby  species.  A.  Campanulata ;, 
the  "small  salt-bush,"  is  "highly  appreciated  by  stock."  A  new 
species  A.  Kochiana,  was  lately  named  and  described  by  J.  H. 
Maiden  (Treasurer,  Royal  Society,  South  Australia).  It  is  allied  to 
A.  vesicaria,  and  is  a  fine  large-leaved  species,  of  economic  value. 
None  of  the  species  mentioned  in  this  paragraph  have  yet  been  tested 
in  California,  as  seed  obtained  failed  to  germinate.  Salt-bush  seed 
often  arrives  in  a  moldy  condition,  having  been  gathered  when  too 
green,  or  wet  with  dew. 

Atriplex  vesicaria. — A  very  interesting  species  much  resembling 
halimoides  but  seemingly  more  easily  reproduced  from  seed  and 
bearing  heavier  seed  crops.  As  with  most  other  salt-bushes,  the 
spongy  or  sometimes  pulpy  seed-envelopes  are  as  nutritious  as  any 
other  part  of  the  plant.  Accordingly  to  Von  Mueller,  vesicaria  is  one 
of  the  most  fattening  and  most  relished  of  all  the  dwarf  pasture  salt- 
bushes,  holding   out  in    the    utmost    extremes    of   drought   and    not 


21 

scorched  even  by  sirocco-like  blasts.  Splendid  wool  is  produced  in 
regions  where  vesicaria  and  halimoides  almost  monopolize  the  ground. 
This  seems  to  be  one  of  the  most  promising  of  the  dwarf,  upright 
species  of  recent  introduction  into  California.  It  does  not  seem  to 
exceed  two  feet  in  height.  Vesicaria  should  be  extensively  tested  on 
the  Mojave  and  Colorado  deserts.  It  has  been  planted  on  a  large  scale 
in  the  south  of  France.     The  seed  should  be  lightly  covered. 

Chenopodium  auricomum,  and  C.  nitraraceum  are  tall  salt-bushes  of 
Australia,  not  yet  introduced  into  California. 

Kochia  eriantha,  of  Australia,  withstands  a  summer  temperature  of 
120°  Fahr.,  and  yields  excellent  sheep  pasture.  K.  villosa,  also  of 
Australia  is  a  dwarf  shrub  whose  roots  penetrate  the  arid  soil  to  a 
depth  of  eighteen  feet  or  more.  It  is  a  good  forage  plant  in  its  native 
country.  K.  Aphyla  and  K.  pyramidata,  stand  much  drought,  but 
are  coarse  and  woody.  Some  of  the  Kochias  have  been  tried  in 
California  but  not,  as  yet,  with  much  success.  The  growth  of  the 
plants  appears  to  be  quite  slow  here. 

Rhagodia  Billardieri  is  said  to  be  an  important  plant  for  binding 
sea  sands.  It  endures  much  salt  and  is  browsed  upon  by  cattle  and 
sheep.     It  has  not  yet  been  tested  in  California. 

Rhagodia  nutans  is  a  small-leaved,  trailing  fodder  herb,  thriving 
on  alkali  land  and  considered  useful  for  forage.  R.  linifolia  is  another 
small  species  of  similar  habit.  The  former  species  is  being  tested  at 
the  California  Station  and  sub-stations.  Its  brilliant  berries  are 
attractive,  but  do  not  seem  to  have  as  much  food-value  as  the  flat, 
pulpy  seeds  of  Atriplex  semibaccata. 

The  most  striking  rhagodia  is  R.  spinescens  inermis,  see  Plate  1, 
page  2,  a  large,  tall,  and  shrubby  species  sometimes  reaching  a  height 
of  five  feet.  This  is  a  browsing,  not  a  fodder  plant,  and  so  far  as 
tested  by  the  station  does  not  offer  any  especial  advantages.  R.  para- 
bolica,  the  "old  man  salt-bush  "  of  Queensland,  has  not  been  introduced. 
A.  halimoides  has  been  sent  to  California  several  times  under  the  name 
of  "old  man."  Professor  J.  H.  Maiden,  in  his  "Useful  Native  Plants 
of  Australia,"  applies  the  term  "old  man  salt-bush"  to  atriplex  num- 
mularia,  which  seems  to  be  authoritative. 


PACIFIC    COAST    SALSOLACE^. 

The  native  West- American  plants  of  this  order  include  many  weeds 
and  a  few  of  recognized  food- value.  The  herbaceous  species  abound 
near  the  sea  coast,  or  on  alkali  lands;  the  shrubby  species  belong 
more  to  the  desert  regions.  Professor  E.  L.  Greene,  in  his  "Flora 
Franciscana,"  describes  fourteen  atriplexes,  mostly  annuals,  found  in 
middle  California.  The  botanists  of  the  Death  Valley  Expedition  sent 
out  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  1891,  listed  twenty- 
nine  native  plants  of  this  order,  twelve  of  which  were  atriplexes.  The 
botanical  work  of  this  notable  expedition  began  at  San  Bernardino 
and  covered  large  portions  of  the  Mojave  Desert,  Antelope  Valley,  the 
upper  San  Joaquin  south  of  Visalia,  Owens  River  Valley,  the  Pana- 
mint  and  Armagosa  regions,  the  southern  Sierras,  and  part  of  south- 
western Nevada. 


22 

Much  of  this  extensive  region  is  a  typical  salt-bush  country  of 
light  rainfall  and  extreme  summer  heat.  The  yearly  rainfall  in  Death 
Valley  averages  about  five  inches,  while  a  maximum  temperature  of 
122°  Fahr.  was  five  times  recorded  in  1891.  In  such  a  region  grow 
the  shrubby  atriplexes  of  the  desert,  locally  known  as  "grease woods," 
which  term  is  applied  to  A.  canescens,  A.  confertifolia,  A.  hymenelytra, 
A.  polycarpa,  A.  Parry i,  and  possibly  others. 

A.  canescens,  a  shrub  often  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  is  found  on 
suitable  locations  in  California,  Nevada,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  as 
far  east  as  the  Missouri.  Cattle  are  said  to  become  fat  upon  it,  but  it 
is  also  reported  to  give  a  bad  taste  to  the  milk.  This  species  and 
A.  confertifolia  are  described  as  useful  forage  plants  by  Jared  G. 
Smith,  in  Bulletin  2,  Division  of  Agrostology,  Department  of  Agri- 
culture . 

A.  confertifolia  is  one  of  the  most  distinctive  and  abundant  of  the 
desert  bushes  on  heavy  alkali  soils,  from  Dakota  south.  It  appears  to 
furnish  a  fair  amount  of  winter  forage,  and  grows  well  on  alkali 
lands.  J.  Burtt  Davy,  in  his  "Notes  on  the  Flora  of  Honey  Lake 
Valley,"  California  (Erythea,  January,  1898),  states  that  this  atriplex 
"occupies  large  areas  almost  exclusively"  on  the  intermediate  alkali 
lands  half  way  between  the  lake- shore  and  the  foothills.  It  forms  a 
bush  of  about  two  feet  in  height,  called  "white  sage"  in  some  districts. 
This  species  is  elsewhere  known  as  "gray-green  sage."  The  true 
desert  sages  are  Artemesias. 

A.  Torreyi,  a  tall  shrub  said  to  be  browsed  on  by  cattle,  grows  in 
many  places  in  California  from  Truckee  south,  and  in  the  upper  San 
Joaquin  Valley. 

Some  annual  atriplexes,  such  as  A.  argentea  and  A.  hastata,  are 
described  as  useful  by  Thomas  A.  Williams  in  his  "Forage  Plants 
of  the  Dakotas"  (Bulletin  6,  Division  of  Agrostology,  Department  of 
Agriculture),  but  they  are  considered  of  little  value  in  California. 

Many  other  allied  species  belonging  to  this  useful  family  are  widely 
distributed  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  One  of  these,  Grayia  spinosa,  was 
found  by  Mr.  Davy  both  in  Antelope  Valley,  Kern  County,  California, 
and  in  Honey  Lake  Valley,  where  it  is  locally  known  as  "rabbit 
brush"  and  "buckwheat  sage."  Its  habit  of  growth  is  thorny,  as  its 
name  indicates,  but  it  is  considered  a  valuable  winter-forage  plant  for 
sheep  and  cattle.  The  seeds  are  especially  useful.  The  Death  Valley 
Expedition  found  that  it  occupies  a  narrow,  well-defined  belt  in  the 
desert  regions. 

Enrotia  lanata  is  another  shrubby  perennial  locally  called  "white 
sage."  It  is  also  termed  "winter  fat"  by  stockman  in  Nevada,  Cali- 
fornia, and  the  Dakotas.  Mr.  Davy  found  that  it  was  much  prized  as 
a  winter  forage  plant  in  Lassen  County,  and  parts  of  Kern  County, 
California.  Thomas  A.  Williams,  in  Bulletin  6,  of  the  Division  of 
Agrostology  ("Grasses  and  Fodder  Plants  of  the  Dakotas"),  illus- 
trates and  describes  this  plant  which  does  well  on  the  "dry  alkali" 
lands  of  Dakota.  In  Bulletin  5,  of  the  same  division,  it  is  listed  from 
Montana  as  a  "  valuable  winter  forage  plant,  especially  for  sheep,"  and 
is  given  the  local  name  of  "sweet  sage"  as  well  as  "winter  fat."  Pro- 
fessor Greene  says  that  it  is  "a  common  forage  shrub  of  the  Great 
Basin  and  Rocky  Mountain  Region." 


23 

The  large  class  of  Kochias,  several  of  which  have  been  introduced 
from  Australia,  is  represented  in  the  upper  San  Joaquin  around 
Bakersfield,  and  more  abundantly  across  the  Tehachapi  and  in  Ante- 
lope Valley,  by  Kochia  Calif ornica,  a  species  sometimes  used  for  fodder, 
and  growing  in  strong  alkali  soils.  On  the  alkali  soils  of  Lassen 
County,  K.  Americana  takes  its  place.  This  species  extends  east  to 
Wyoming  and  south  to  Arizona. 

The  native  American  salt-bushes  adapted  to  alkali  soils  are  excel- 
lently described  by  Professor  Jared  G.  Smith,  Assistant  Agrostologist, 
in  the  Year  Book  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1898  (pp. 
535-550),  which  appears  while  this  bulletin  is  being  printed. 

Summary  of  Results. 

This  bulletin  shows  that  the  California  station  has  been  experi- 
menting with  salt-bushes  for  eighteen  years;  that  the  tests  of  some 
species  have  extended  over  the  greater  part  of  the  State,  and  that 
Atriplex  semibaccata  is  the  most  generally  useful  species  of  all  that 
have  been  planted,  although  others  are  worthy  of  cultivation.  It 
shows  that  semibaccata  grows  on  strong  alkali  soil,  furnishing  a  very 
large  amount  of  satisfactory  pasturage  or  fodder;  that  it  also  thrives 
on  arid  non-alkaline  uplands,  even  where  wells  have  to  be  sunk  200 
feet  to  water,  and  where  the  annual  rainfall  has  been  less  than  five 
inches.  While  the  dwarf,  bushy  species,  such  as  vesicaria,  will  also 
thrive  on  such  uplands,  they  seem  to  furnish  less  pasturage  than 
semibaccata.  The  salt- bushes  are  of  easy,  rapid  growth,  and  are  hardy 
under  California  conditions.  Reported  from  Australia  as  enduring 
14°  Fahr.,  without  injury,  some  of  the  American  tests  would  indicate 
that  semibaccata  will  stand  considerably  more  cold  than  this.  The 
tolerance  of  brackish  ground-water,  and  the  extreme  northern  limits  of 
growth  are  still  undetermined. 

The  West- American  Species. — Although  California,  in  common 
with  other  regions  west  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  possesses  native 
salt-bushes  and  other  salsolaceae  of  more  or  less  economic  usefulness 
as  browsing  plants,  not  one  of  them  gives  promise  of  being  worth 
cultivation.  Their  yield  of  fodder  per  acre  seems  to  be  much  less  than 
that  of  the  tall  Australian  species,  and  from  every  practical  point  of 
view,  except  possibly  that  of  hardiness,  they  are  inferior  to  the  tender- 
stemmed,  hay-producing  A.  semibaccata.  Baron  Von  Mueller,  in  his 
writings  upon  fodder  plants,  often  expressed  a  belief  that  some  of  the 
California  and  other  desert  species  of  America  were  worthy  of  intro- 
duction into  Australia.  So  far,  however,  as  the  investigation  of  this 
Station  has  proceeeded,  through  more  than  one  expedition  sent  out  to 
study  the  native  vegetation  of  alkali  tracts,  no  native  salt-bush  is 
worthy  of  comparison  with  A.  semibaccata  in  either  quantity  or 
quality  of  the  product. 

Natural  limitations. — It  is  seldom  that  a  plant  shows  as  much 
adaptation  to  differing  circumstances  as  does  Atriplex  semibaccata,  but 
it  cannot  endure  too  heavy  summer  rains,  nor  the  moist  atmosphere 
of  many  warm  countries.  Within  its  own  realm,  it  is  unsurpassed 
among  the  gifts  of  nature  to  the  deserts  and  the  alkali  wastes  which 
cover  so  large  a  part  of  the  earth's  surface. 


24 


COMPOSITION   AND    FOOD-VALUE   OF   THE  SALT-BUSHES. 


By  M.  E.  Jaffa. 


The  lesson  of  the  past  dry  season  has  taught  stockmen,  dairymen, 
and  animal  feeders  in  general  the  value  of  such  drought-resisting 
plants  as  the  Australian  salt-bushes,  prominent  among  which  is  the 
Atriplex  semibaccata,  the  only  one  which  has  received  any  extended 
attention  in  this  State.  Its  habits  and  propagation  have  been  dis- 
cussed in  previous  pages  of  this  Bulletin. 

These  salt-bushes  have  a  two-fold  value  in  that  they  are  not  only 
valuable  forage  plants  but  can  be  cultivated  in  soils  containing  alkali 
beyond  the  limits  of  tolerance  for  any  other  plant  of  similar  food- 
value. 

Food- Value  of  the  Various  Salt-Bushes. 

Chemical  investigation  of  the  plant  grown  at  Tulare  and  Paso 
Robles  gave,  respectively,  the  results  shown  below.  Analysis  of  A. 
campanulata  and  A.  nummularia,  made  by  Professor  W.  A.  Dixon, 
New  South  Wales,  Australia;  and  those  of  some  typical  fodders  are, 
for  comparison,  inserted  in  the  following  table: 

Table  I.— Showing  the  Composition  of  Different  Fodders. 


Name  and  Locality. 

Percentage  Composition. 

Moisture. 

Pure 
Ash. 

Crude 
Protein. 

Crude 
Fiber. 

Nitrogen 

Free 
Extract. 

Crude 
Fat. 

Green. 

A.  semibaccata — Tulare  

A.  semibaccata — Paso  Robles 

A.  campanulata — Australia  

A.  nummularia — Australia 

78.03 
75.00 
75.00 
75.00 

4.58 
4.93 

5.98 
7.82 

2.75 
3.93 
3.06 
4.11 

3.75 

5.58 
4.53 
1.81 

10.41 
10.15 

10.87 
10.71 

.48 
.41 
.56 
.55 

Average 

75.76 

5.83 

3.46 

3.92 

10.53 

.50 

Alfalfa,  average  for  Calif 

75.04 
81.25 
80.00 

1.80 
2.07 
1.72 

4.91 

2.85 
2.83 

6.34 
4.66 
4.72 

11.09 
8.41 
9.81 

.86 

Snail  Clover,  average  for  Calif... 
Alfileria,  average  for  Calif 

.76 
.92 

Hays. 

A.  semibaccata — Tulare  

A.  semibaccata — Paso  Robles 

A.  campanulata — Australia  

A.  nummularia — Australia 

7.05 
10.00 
10.00 
10.00 

19.37 

17.74 
21.53 

28.15 

11.64 
14.14 
11.01 
14.79 

15.88 

20.18 

16.30 

6.51 

44.05 
36.54 
39.13 
38.55 

2.01 
1.47 
2.01 
1.98 

Average 

9.02 

21.70 

12.89 

14.72 

39.57 

1.87 

Alfalfa,  average  for  Calif 

10.95 

8.95 

10.38 

11.67 

6.44 

6.43 
5.00 
6.75 
6.75 
7.15 

17.60' 

13.65 

8.31 

6.48 

11.11 

22.63 
30.58 
23.85 
18.72 
22.55 

39.31 

38.22 
47.91 
54.33 
50.37 

3.08 

Bur  Clover — Petaluma  .... 

3.60 

Oat  Hay — Santa  Clara 

Wheat  Hay — Danville  .. 

2.80 
1.85 

Common  Barley  Hay— Tulare  .... 

2.38 

25 

The  value  of  the  salt-bush  will  be  better  appreciated  when  it  is 
remembered  that  in  the  selection  of  foods  the  chief  nutrient  to  be 
considered  is  the  protein  or  nitrogenous  ingredients.  It  is  indispensable 
to  the  healthy  and  vigorous  growth  of  the  animal  body,  and  animals 
which  have  been  deprived  of  all  nitrogenous  materials  have  died  in  a 
very  short  time.  That  the  salt-bushes  range  high  in  this  most 
important  ingredient,  when  compared  with  other  foods,  will  be  seen  by 
an  examination  of  Table  1. 

This  table  is  exceedingly  interesting  and  pregnant  with  valuable 
and  material  suggestions. 

It  is  specially  worthy  of  mention  that  while  the  salt-bushes  named 
in  the  table  differ  materially  botanically,  and  are  not  of  equal  adapta- 
tion, they  are  all  valuable  forage  plants,  and  there  is  very  little 
preference  so  far  as  chemipal  composition  is  concerned.  But  much 
farther  experimentation  will  be  required  before  the  same  can  be  said 
of  them  physiologically,  or  with  respect  to  nutritive  values. 

The  choice  of  the  best  variety  for  a  special  locality  would  depend 
on  soil  adaptation  and  the  results  of  feeding  experiments. 

Green  Fodders. — An  inspection  of  the  figures  indicating  the  protein 
contents  of  the  different  salt-bushes  shows  that  A.  nummularia  is  the 
richest,  and  A.  semibaccata,  from  Tulare,  the  poorest  in  this  respect. 
The  average,  3.46  per  cent.,  is  higher  than  the  figures  given  for  snail 
clover  and  alfileria,  but  is  considerably  lower  than  the  corresponding 
rating  of  alfalfa. 

Crude  fiber  in  the  salt-bushes  is  present  in  much  smaller  amounts 
than  in  any  of  the  other  fodders,  and  since  woody  fiber  is  the  least 
digestible  of  any  part  of  a  fodder,  this  is  rather  an  advantage  than 
otherwise. 

A  very  close  agreement  is  noted  in  the  case  of  nitrogen-free  extract. 
The  average  for  the  salt-bush  is  10.50  per  cent.,  while  that  for  the 
remaining  fodders  amounts  to  9.80  per  cent. 

The  fat  percentage  is  uniformly  lower  in  the  salt-bushes,  being 
about  five-eighths  of  that  found  in  the  other  materials. 

Rays. — An  examination  of  the  analyses  of  the  air-dried  materials 
shows  that  the  salt-bushes  compare  very  favorably  in  nutritive  value 
with  the  other  hays  mentioned  in  the  table.  The  average  protein  con- 
tent, 12.89,  is  twice  that  noted  for  wheat  hay,  50  per  cent,  more  than 
the  figure  given  for  oat  hay,  and  is  only  exceeded  by  bur  clover  and 
alfalfa.  The  average  percentages  of  fat  and  starchy  matter  in  the 
salt-bushes  are  less  than  those  found  in  cereal  hays.  But  in  the  case 
of  the  latter  nutrient,  the  average  is  almost  identical  with  the  figures 
named  for  alfalfa  and  bur  clover. 

Digestibility. — As  before  stated,  much  more  experimentation  is 
required  before  we  can  definitely  assert  that  these  salt-bushes  have  as 
high  digestive  coefficients  as  alfalfa  and  the  ordinary  hays.  Feeding 
experiments  are  called  for  in  this  direction,  and  in  some  cases 
urgently  so. 

In  making  up  a  ration  we  would  assign  to  the  salt-bush  hay  about 
the  same  digestive  coefficients  as  those  for  oat  hay.  The  digestibility 
would  be  greatly  increased  if  the  material  were  cut  into  small  pieces, 
as  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  much  more  nutriment  is  derived  from  a 
given  amount  of  fodder,  more  particularly  by  the  horse  and  other 


26 

solipeds,  if  it  is  cut  up  than  if  fed  as  harvested.  This  has  been  practi- 
cally proved  by  many  of  the  large  livery  stables,  both  here  and  abroad. 

Feeding. — It  is  not  advisable  to  feed  the  salt-bushes  alone,  particu- 
larly in  the  air-dried  state,  owing  to  the  high  percentage  of  saline 
ingredients,  and  the  general  uninviting  appearance  and  condition  of 
the  salt- bush  hay.  In  cases  of  emergency,  however,  sheep  and  cattle 
have  existed  altogether  on  this  material  through  an  entire  season. 

Mixed  vs.  Unmixed  Foods. — From  the  large  number  of  favorable 
reports,  it  would  seem  that  many  of  the  failures  were  due  mainly  to 
irrational  feeding.  In  some  cases  animals  which  had  never  seen  the 
salt-bush  were  given  quantities  of  the  unmixed  material  and  were 
expected  to  eat  it  with  relish.  Such  a  method  of  procedure  is,  to  say 
the  least,  ill-advised.  Any  alteration  in  the  food  should  be  slow  and 
gradual.  It  would  be  most  unwise  to  substitute  A.  semibaccata  for  a 
cereal  hay.  The  better  plan  would  be  to  feed  a  very  small  amount  of 
salt-bush  with  considerable  hay;  then  increase  by  degrees  the  quantity 
of  salt-bush  and  decrease  that  of  cereal  hay  until  the  proportions  are 
about  equal.  If  the  green  salt-bush  were  used,  then  the  hay  should 
constitute  about  one- third  of  the  roughage  of  the  ration. 

Utilization  of  Straw. — The  value  of  straw  as  a  diluent  is  becoming 
more  appreciated  every  year.  A  ration  compounded  from  alfalfa  and 
straw  is  much  more  rational  than  one  with  alfalfa  alone.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  straw  is  dry,  fibrous,  and  unpalatable,  and  con- 
sequently requires  a  succulent  material  to  be  used  in  conjunction  with 
it.  For  this  reason  it  is  not  desirable  to  feed  the  salt-bush  hay  with 
straw.  The  green,  however,  could  very  advantageously  be  utilized, 
more  particularly  if  both  feeds  were  cut  up  and  well  mixed.  By  this 
method  the  farmer  is  not  only  able  to  use  alkali  land  which  has  been 
considered  worthless,  but  can  use  in  conjunction  with  the  crop  from 
this  land  another  material  which  has  been  deemed  of  little  feeding 
value.     The  economy  of  this  plan  is  apparent  without  discussion. 

Silage  and  the  Salt-bash . — The  silo  has  come  to  California  and 
has  come  to  stay;  a  more  valuable  acquisition  to  the  dairyman  could 
hardly  be  imagined. 

Silage  could  be  fed  profitably  with  either  the  green  or  air- dried 
salt-bush;  in  the  latter  case,  the  dryness  of  the  salt-bush  would  be 
offset  by  the  succulency  of  the  silage.  The  amount  of  silage  to  be  fed 
per  day  would  depend  greatly  on  the  animals  and  the  supplementary 
materials  of  the  ration.  But  the  maximum  should  not  exceed  forty 
pounds,  with  about  the  same  amount  of  green  salt-bush.  The  succu- 
lency of  the  fresh  salt-bush  would  be  preserved  and  the  digestibility 
of  some  of  its  fibrous  parts  increased  if  it  were  siloed.  With  some 
other  material  a  salty  relish  would  thus  be  imparted  to  the  silage. 

Composition  of  the  Ash. 

In  order  to  more  forcibly  present  the  extremely  important  point 
regarding  the  adaptibility  of  the  Atriplex  semibaccata  to  different  soils, 
it  is  pertinent  to  discuss  the  composition  of  the  ash.  An  inspection  of 
Table  I  discloses  the  unusually  high  percentage  (5.82  average)  of  the 
ash.     When    it   is  stated   that   the    ash  percentages  of   most  of  the 


27 

green  fodders  do  not  exceed  two,  the  large  amount  of  mineral  matter 
in  the  salt- bushes  will  be  more  fully  appreciated. 

The  analyses  of  the  ash  of  the  different  salt-bashes  are  given  below: 
Table  II.— Analyses  of  Ash  of  Different  Salt-Bushes. 


Silica  (Si02) 

Potash  (K20)  

Soda  (Na20) 

Lime  (Ca  O)  

Magnesia  (Mg  O)  

Peroxide  of  Iron  (Fe203) 

Alumina  (A1203) 

Br.  Ox.  Manganese  (Mn3o4)   

Phosphoric  Acid  (P2O5) 

Sulphuric  Acid  (S03)  

Chlorine  (CI) 

Total ., 

Excess  of  O  due  to  CI   

Common  Salt,  per  cent.,  in  ash  

Common  Salt,  per  cent.,  in  fresh  plant 
Common  Salt,  per  cent.,  in  air-dried  plant 


A.  semibaecata. 


A.  eampan-  J     A.  nurn- 
ulata.       ;    mularia. 


California 


Tulare. 


16.24* 

11.42 

35.39 

5.79 

3.23 

1.38 

1.95 

.22 

2.80 

2.64 

24.33 


105.35 
5.35 


100.00 


39.90 
1.83 
7.73 


Paso 
Robles. 


24.03 


39.39 
1.94 
7.43 


Australia. 


2.27f 

13.61 

47.80 

8.47 

5.82 


3.80 

2.62 

21.56 


107.78 
7.78 


100.00 


35.36 
2.11- 
7.61 


1.12t 

15.69 

45.44 

8.65 

6.77 

.64 


4.11 
3.17 

18.47 


104.06 
4.06 


100.00 


30.28 
2.37 

8.52 


From  the  above  showing,  it  is  noted  that  the  chief  constituent  of 
the  ash  is  sodium  chlorid  or  common  salt,  ranging  from  30.28  per 
cent,  in  the  nummularia  to  almost  40  in  the  semibaecata,  both  from 
Tulare  and  Paso  Robles.  In  addition  to  the  sodium  chlorid  there  is 
from  15  to  25  per  cent,  of  soda  otherwise  combined.  In  other  words, 
for  every  ton  of  green  material,  assuming  water  at  75  per  cent.,  there 
would  be  about  100  pounds  of  mineral  matter  containing  from  30  to 
40  pounds  of  common  salt  and  about  20  pounds  of  other  sodium 
compounds. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  percentages  of  potash,  lime,  and  phosphoric 
acid  are  higher  both  in  the  ash  of  the  A.  campanulata,  and  A.  num- 
mularia than  in  the  A.  semibaecata.  This  is  probably  due  in  a  measure 
to  the  fact  that  the  insoluble  silica  was  not  reported  in  the  analyses 
made  by  Professor  Dixon ;  if  that  were  included  in  the  table  then  the 
revised  figures  would  correspond  quite  closely  with  the  data  given  for 
the  semibaecata.  The  amounts  of  potash,  lime,  and  phosphoric  acid 
are  in  any  case  relatively  small,  thus  rendering  salt-bush  excellent  for 
de-salting  or  freeing  the  soil  from  objectionable  sodium  compounds. 

Fertilizing  Value  of  the  Ash. — In  the  ash  from  1  ton  of  green  plant 
there  are  about  11  pounds  of  potash  and  3  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid 
available  as  plant-food;  or,  estimating  a  crop  at  about  20  tons  per  acre, 
we  find  about  220  of  potash  and  60  of  phosphoric  acid.     But  as  potash 


*  Reprinted  from  Bulletin  105. 


t  Soluble  Silica. 


28 

exists  in  more  than  sufficient  quantities  in  most  of  the  valley  soils  of  the 
State,  it  is  only  the  phosphoric  acid  that  is  to  be  considered  here  with 
regard  to  the  fertilizing  value  of  the  ash.  The  advantage  that  would 
accrue  to  the  valley  soils  by  the  addition  of  that  amount  of  phosphoric 
acid  would  be  much  more  than  offset  by  the  large  quantity  of  alkali 
salts,  chief  among  which  would  be  the  "black  alkali,"  or,  carbonate  of 
soda,  and  the  common  salt  accompanying  the  phosphoric  acid. 

It  was  due  to  the  extraordinary  amount  of  sodium  compounds  in 
the  ash,  that  the  planting  of  the  salt-bush  on  non-alkaline  lands  was 
not  deemed  feasible.  But  the  results  of  the  investigation  of  the  ash 
of  the  sample  from  Paso  Robles  proves  that  there  is  only  a  slight 
difference  between  the  figures  for  the  total  ash,  and  that  the  percentage 
of  salt  in  the  ash  is  almost  identical  with  that,  noted  for  the  Tulare 
sample.  This  somewhat  surprising  result  furnishes  several  questions 
for  careful  consideration  among  which  are :  — 

How  long  will  a  non-alkaline  soil  supply  the  salts  required  for  this 
plant,  and  do  all  arid  non-alkaline  soils  contain  a  considerable  quantity 
of  soluble  salts?  These  suggest  very  pointedly  the  necessity  of  further 
study  of  the  leachings  of  such  soils. 

Examinations  made  by  Dr.  R.  H.  Loughridge  on  some  soils 
of  this  character  from  Southern  California  indicate  that  they  contain 
about  2,500  pounds  of  soluble  salts  per  acre  in  a  depth  of  three  feet. 
The  corresponding  amount  for  the  Paso  Robles  soils  is  about  4,500 
pounds  per  acre  in  three  feet.  An  ordinary  crop  of  A.  semibaccata 
withdraws  from  the  soil  about  800  pounds  of  common  salt;  but  owing 
to  the  great  penetrative  power  of  the  roots  of  this  plant  it  is  not 
dependent  for  this  mineral  matter  in  the  upper  layers  of  the  soil  only. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  compare  the  composition  of 
the  ash  of  the  salt-bushes  with  that  of  some  other  plants.  The  follow- 
ing table,  reprinted  from  Bulletin  105,  presents  these  data:  — 


Table  III. 


■Showing  Ash  Composition  of  the  Salt-bush  and 
Some  Other  Plants. 


A.  Semi- 
baccata. 

*Grease- 

wood, 
Kern  Co. 

tGrease- 

wood, 

New  Mex'o. 

Alfalfa, 
Eastern. 

Timothy 

Hay, 
Eastern. 

Silica  

Potash  

Soda  

Lime 

Magnesia 

Br.  Ox.  Manganese 

Peroxid  Iron  and  Alumina 

J16.24 

11.42 

35.39 

5.75 

3.25 

.22 

3.33 

2.80 

2.64 

24.33 

11.81 

18.53 

39.45 

1.36 

1.09 

3.00 

22.06 

23.89 

6.52 

1.35 

9.38 
23.45 

1.56 
44.30 

4.68 

35.60 

28.80 

2.70 

9.30 

3.60 

7.06 

3.51 

4.93 

15.30 

4.73 
4.12 
4.33 
8.01 
23.80 

Phosphoric  Acid 

Sulphuric  Acid 

Chlorine 

8.34 
8.73 
3.12 

10.80 
3.90 
5.00 

Carbonic  Acid 

Less  excess  of  O.  due  to  CI 

T05^35^ 
5.35 

103.04 
3.25 

102.81 

100.56 
.68 

99.70 

Total 

100.00 

99.79 

99.88 

Percentage  of  Ash  in  air-dried  plant 

19.37 

12.03 

5.89 

6.15 

*Not  the  greasewood  of  Nevada,  but  the  AllenroJfea  occidentalis. 

t  From  greasewood  Sarcobatus  vermiculatus  of  New  Mexico  (New  Mexico  bulletin  22). 

t  About  one-half  of  the  silica  is  soluble  in  carbonate  of  soda  solution. 


29 

It  is  thus  seen  that  the  ash  of  the  salt-bush  approaches  more  nearly 
in  composition  to  the  ash  of  the  greasewood  than  to  that  of  either 
alfalfa  or  timothy.  The  percentages  of  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  in 
the  ash  of  the  salt-bush  are  each  less  than  in  any  of  the  other  plants. 

But  although  the  percentages  of  these  two  vital  ingredients  are 
somewhat  low.  the  actual  amounts  contained  in  the  ash  from  a  single 
crop  of  the  salt-bush  are  far  in  excess  of  those  found  for  an  ordinary 
crop  of  hay. 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  salt-bush  as  compared  with  the 
other  plants,  is  the  excessive  amount  of  chlorine  as  compared  with 
that  in  greasewood,  alfalfa,  and  timothy. 

Again,  while  it  is  true  that  the  percentages  of  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid  are  less  in  the  ash  of  the  salt-bush  than  in  that  of  the  other  plants, 
when  calculated  on  the  same  amount  of  ash,  yet  the  percentage  of  ash 
being  so  much  greater  in  the  salt-bush,  there  will  be  withdrawn  from 
the  soil  more  potash  by  a  ton  of  salt-bush  than  by  the  same  weight  of 
the  other  cultures.     Table  V  illustrates  this  point. 

Table  IV.     Quantities  of  Soil  Ingredients  Withdrawn  by  Various 
Plants  (Air  Dried) . 


Total  Ash, 
lbs. 


Potash, 
lbs. 


Salt-bush— In  1,000  lbs 193.70 

Crop  of  10,000  lbs 1,937.00 

Sugar-beets  (fresh)— In  1,000  lbs !        18.93 

Crop  of  72,000  lbs 1,349.72 

Roots  of  40,000  lbs 287.00 


Tops  of  32,000  lbs. 
Alfalfa— In  1,000  lbs 

Crop  of  12,000  lbs 

Wheat  (whole  plant)— In  1,000  lbs. 

Crop  of  5,000  lbs 

Timothy  Hay— In  1,000  lbs 

Crop  of  5,000  lbs 


1,062.00 
65.00 

780.00 
51.26 

256.30 
61.50 

307.50 


21.30 

213.00 

5.38 

387.44 

152.00 

235.44 

13.49 

161.88 

9.15 

45.75 

17.71 

88.55 


Phos  Acid, 

Lime, 

lbs 
5.93 

lbs. 

11.14 

59.30 

111.40 

1.61 

3.11 

116.16 

224.08 

36.00 

16.00 

80.16 

208.00 

6.43 

22.86 

77.16 

274.32 

4.13 

2.30 

20.65 

11.50 

6.64 

5.72 

33.20 

28.60 

Nitrogen, 


18.60 

186.00 
2.38 

173.40 
60.40 

113.00 
22.50 

270.00 

8.75 

43.75 

15.40 

77.00 


The  total  ash  of  a  crop  of  salt-bush,  as  indicated  above,  is  more 
than  three  times  that  contained  in  one  of  the  timothy,  two  and  a  half 
times  that  removed  by  a  crop  of  alfalfa,  and  about  fifty  per  cent, 
greater  than  the  figure  obtained  for  sugar-beet  (entire),  but  with- 
draws between  six  and  seven  times  as  much  mineral  matter  as  the 
beet  roots  alone. 

The  amount  of  potash  removed  from  the  soil  by  a  crop  of  salt- bush 
is  greatly  in  excess  of  the  quantity  withdrawn  by  alfalfa,  or  sugar- 
beets  (roots),  more  than  twice  that  taken  by  timothy,  and  nearly  four 
times  the  amount  found  in  wheat  hay.  The  draft  of  phosphoric  acid 
upon  the  soil  is  greatest  in  the  case  of  sugar-beets  (entire)  and  least  in 
wheat  hay.  The  amount  found  in  the  salt-bush,  fifty-nine  pounds,  is 
nearly  three  times  that  given  for  wheat  hay,  one  and  one-half  times 
that  for  sugar-beets  (roots) ,  but  only  about  three-fourths  the  weight  of 
phosphoric  acid  required  for  a  crop  of  alfalfa.  With  reference  to  lime, 
it  seems  that  a  crop  of  alfalfa  carries  more  of  this  ingredient  than  do 


30 


all  the  remaining  plants  here  presented,  with  the  exception  of  sugar- 
beets.  The  highest  figure  for  nitrogen  is  270,  reported  for  alfalfa; 
the  salt-bush  requiring  about  two-thirds  of  this  amount. 

It  therefore  appears  that  while  the  salt-bush  removes  an  enormous 
amount  of  ash,  it  does  not  correspondingly  draw  upon  the  vital 
ingredients. 

Amount  of  Alkali  Salts  removed  from  the  soil  by  a  crop  of  Salt- 
bush. — It  is  of  interest  to  know  just  how  much  of  the  injurious  salts 
of  alkali  soils  are  extracted,  per  acre,  by  an  average  crop  of  salt-bush. 
As  before  stated,  this  plant  is  grown  on  some  of  the  worst  spots  of 
" black  alkali"  at  Tulare  station. 

In  column  I,  of  Table  V,  below,  are  given  the  amounts,  in  pounds 
per  acre,  of  alkali  salts  in  the  crude  ash  of  a  crop  of  the  salt-bush, 
estimating  the  yield  at  five  tons  per  acre.  In  column  II,  the  number 
of  pounds  of  the  alkali  salts  as  they  occur  in  the  soil ;  assuming  an  acre 
one  foot  deep  to  weigh  four  million  pounds;  column  III  expresses  the 
percentage  of  the  total  quantity  in  the  soil,  which  is  extracted  by  the 
salt-bush : 

Table  V. 


i. 

Alkali  Salts  in 
Crop  of  Five  Tons 

of  Salt- Bush. 
Pounds  per  Acre. 

II. 

Alkali  Salts  in 

Soil. 
Pounds  per  Acre. 

III. 

Percentage  of 
Total  Salts 

Extracted  by 
Salt-Bush. 

Sodium  Sulphate 

26,040.00 

4,440.00 

19,400.00 

20,360.00 

Potassium  Sulphate 

Sodium  Chlorid 

Sodium  Carbonate 

111.48 
797.59 
471.10 

2.51 
4.11 
2.31 

Total 

1,380.17 

70,240.00 

Average. 
1.90 

Total  Sodium  Salts  . 

1,268.69 

65,800.00 

1.92 

From  this  table  it  will  be  noted  that  sodium  carbonate  and 
sodium  chlorid,  the  two  most  injurious  of  alkali  salts,  are  removed 
from  the  soil  in  no  inconsiderable  quantities  by  a  single  crop  of  the 
salt-bush;  and  while  it  would  require  many  years  of  such  cropping  to 
render  such  a  soil,  containing  nearly  one  and  three-quarters  per  cent, 
of  alkali  salts,  fit  for  other  cultures,  yet  on  soils  where  the  percentage 
of  alkali  is  near  the  limit  of  injury,  a  few  crops  of  the  salt-bush  would, 
in  all  probability,  bring  it  below  the  danger  point. 

In  addition,  therefore,  to  the  advantages  referred  to  in  the  previous 
part  of  this  Bulletin,  the  following  points  deserve  attention: 

Soils  where  the  percentages  of  alkali  are  near  the  limit  of  tolerance 
can  no  doubt  be  sensibly  relieved  by  planting  the  salt-bush  and  per- 
minently  removing  each  cutting  from  the  land. 

The  composition  is,  aside  from  the  ash,  such  as  to  make  it  an 
excellent  food  for  stock;    it  seems  to  be  readily  eaten  by  them. 

The  question  still  to  be  settled  is  whether  the  large  amount  of 
saline  ingredients  will  be  harmless  to  all  kinds  of  stock;  e.g.,  milch 
cows.  Assuredly  no  salting  will  be  necessary;  and  if  no  purgative 
effect  is  noted,  no  other  disadvantage  need  be  apprehended. 


